Propulsion of vehicles



Patented Oct. 14, 1924.

vomiten STATES PATNT o FFiCE.

RUDOLF GoLDscHMID'r, OFDERLIN, GERMANY, AssIeNon To DET '.rnKNIsKE rons'zbesgl j Axm'rnsntsxnia, or oRDRUP, CHARLOTTDNLUND, DENMARK, A coMPiiNYor DEN- PROiPULSION OF VEHICLES.

Application filed July 16, 1921. Serial No. 485,374.

To @ZZ fio/om t may concer/lt:

Be it known that I, RUDOLFV GoLDsoHMm'r, a citizen of Germany, and a resident of Berlin, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Propulsion of'Vehicles, of which the following is a specification. i

This inventionr relatesto the propulsion of vehicles by means other than adhesion between driving wheels and a track or road surface, and is applicable to. vehicles for travelling upon ice and snow or to sledges where the adhesion is very small or to veliicles which are required toI do considerable work in addition to overcoming their own friction, such as locomotives, vehicles on steep inclines or portable machines such as agricultural ploughs, harrows, street sweep# ing machines, snow ploughs and the like.

According to the present invention ithe mechanism for the propulsion ofpa vehicle of the type above referred to comprises va reciprocatory member, suchas a. pendulum orv hammer, movably connected tothe vehicle and means for repeatedly and in rapid succession oscillating said member to cause the same to propel the vehicle by frequent forward impulses transmitted in rapid succession to the vehicle, preferably through the medium of a resilient buffer or spring. The present invention is an adaptation of the mechanism described in my prior United State Patents Nos. 1,386,329y of 2nd `August, 1921 and 1,452,038 of April 17,1923 and in my applications for patents Serial Nos. 461,446 filed 14th April, 1921 `and 479,573 filed 22nd June, 1921. v Fig. 1 illustrates the present inventionv applied to a sledge, shown in side view..

Fig. 2is afront view of the vehicle shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view with the'upper part of the sledge removedto show the driving mechanism.

Fig. 4 is aside view illustrating a modi-Y lied arrangement of the-mechanism shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 illustratesa further Vmodification thereof. r l

Fig. 6 is a side view illustrating the application ofthe invention to a semi-portable vehicle. Y

Fig; 7 is a side view partly yin section showing the applicationof the invention to an vagricultural plough.

Fig. 8 isa fragmentary view at angles to Fig. 7 showingthe driving gear; Fig.l 9 is afragmentary horizontal section showing a modified driving arrangement for the plough shown in Figure 7.

F ig. 1U illustrates my invention applied to connected vehicles. v Y

' Referringto Figsrl, 2 and 3 which show the invention applied to a Sledge, a motor M mounted'on the sledgetV .drivesl a pair of vertical shafts- -C through suitable gearing.

The shafts C each carry an arm SV havmg a weightfVV1 and, have a universal joint at VK-so as to be capable. of swinging.

The lower endsof the shafts C are connected to va frame, C1', C? ,suspendedA from de hangers VB journaled at L. lRotation of the weights Wl` thus effects oscillation-'ofthe frame C1, G2 and hangers-B.. The'weights Wl are preferably rotatedY at equal. angular velocities but in opposite directions so as to eliminate forces at yright angles to the direction: of movement of the Sledge. 1

Vlt will be understood that anyform of driving mechanism for the 'weights"'VV?Vv may beemployed. f .f j.

The hangers B are jointed to shoes'F by means of inclined struts D and control springs Z, the latter determining the maximum relative movement between the parts. The shoes E are roughenedV or formed with any other suitable under-surface (such as wood, rubber, leatherorv the like) so as to firmly grip thegroad surface i U on the outswing of the hangersB towardsl The system'B, D, E thus produces the re.-

quired inequality ,of resistanceto movement during forward' and return motion by reason ofthe pressure of the'springsvX..

Fig.v 4 illustrates a modified arrangement the struts D carry Vbrake blocks Ff, which act upon `,rollers Rpreferably against the action 4.for retarding return movement. vIn'thiscase of springs E2.v Backward movement of the Y rollers- R isthus resisted bygliding friction between thel rollers `Y and 'road surface, -V

.whilst the rollers are free to revolve for forward movement. In the application of the invention lto wheeled vehicles', the arrangement may be the same, the sledge runners being replaced by wheels.

Y In Figs. l and 2 there are really two pendulum systems with two shoes E and two springs X but it will be understood that any number thereof may be employed. It may be desirable to cause the shoes to work in alternation to one another, so as to render the propulsion more uniform. The varying forcesin the several springs X due to the alternate working of the shoes will be additive and thus produce a constant total force. The connection between the lower ends of the shafts C and the frame bars C may be either a rigid connection or (as shown) it may consist of resilientmembers or springsX1 and The propulsive forceneed not necessarily be transmitted Yfrom the pendulum system to the vehicle by the simple actionrofa spring X. The transmission also bev effected by impact. Fig. 5 shows a modiication wherein the propulsion is efilectedboth by pressure and impact. In this example, whilst the shoe E is stationary, thespring X] is compressed by the pendulum system `and on the reverse movement thereof, a plunger VV is projected forward and imparts its energy to the vehicle V by 'impact against a resilient buffer N, the buffer Nvbeing preferably resilient in orderto mitigate the blow.

In Figs. l, 2 and 3, the pendulum system is illustrated as adapted to swing about journals L. The function of the apparatus will however not kdiffer if the oscillating system is mounted so as' to oscillate in horizontalguides as in Fig. 9.

In certain instances it is not essential that the vehicle should be propelled at a constant velocity. The velocity mayeven vary to such an extent that itperiodically becomes zero or a negative quantity. In such case the shoes E may be dispensed with. Fig. 6 is an illustration of this nature. The vehicle is represented by a body V which rests upon va `foundation U. rlherbody V supports a pendulum or hammer VJ which iscarried by an arm S pivoted in a journal C. When the hammer W' is raised into the inclined position indicated by dotted lines and then allowed to return under the action of gravity and the spring X, a blow will be imparted to the body V through the buffer N; The blow may also in this case be mitigated Yby making'the buffer N resilient as shown. This impact causes the body V to move towards the right in the direction of the arrow. This movement of the body towards the right is contingent upon there being sufficient friction between the bodyV and its support U. If the friction is considerablefthe accelerating and retarding forces, required to control movement of the V and its support U. In .F ig. 6 the .mecha-` nism fo-r actuating the hammer is diagrammatically illustratedas including a motor M driving a` pulley m and tappets m1 adapted to strike the upper end of the hammer shaft Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate the application of the invention to an agricultural plough in which G represents the front cutter and Q the plough share. In this instance theautter and plough share remain in the earth and consequently constitute a comparatively large resistance to backward*movement of the frame V of the plough. The rframe yV adjustably supports a'casing G which encloses the drivinghammer and mayy simultaneously form an oil chamber. A motor M mounted on the frame V drives a shaft Y and gearing P1 P2 thr ugh universal joints, the gear wheel P2 being mounted on'a shaft C on which is ournaled an arm S supporting 'the hannner W. rlhe ygear wheel P2 gears with a bevel wheel P3. at the upper end of the sleeveR the lower `end of which carries yau arm S1 and weight-l/Vl, the latter being thus rotated about the hammer shaft S. rlhe hammer VVT is connected to the casing by a spring X. It will of course be understood that a plurality of. rotating weights n may be provided but-the arrangement must be such that the backward pressure ofthe hammer IV through the spring X upon the casing G is not suliicient to draw the ploughk out of the earth. The hammer IV in its forward movement is adapted to strike against a fixed or resilient buffer `In this case the ybufferN .is shownv fitted with a spring F through the `medium of which the blow is-transmitted to the plough. blow imparted to the plough will overcome the resistance to movement thereof and will also automatically adapt itself to this resistance inasmuch as the force of the Vblowl vwill be increased in proportion to theresistanceV which the buiier N and plough` provide against forward motion. The yimpactA can be regulatedby varying the com.-Y

pression of the spring F rby means -of a. screw F1 and cablecontrol leading froma.

hand wheel A or in `any other suitable man# ner so that more or less of the impact will be absorbed.

rhe hand bars for guidingthe plough will preferably be slidably mounted on theA frame V such as .within sleeves B so that ing Gr forms a fixed 4buffer for the hammer4 The W which is driven by rotating weights W1. The weights W1 are carried by rotatable arms S1 driven by means of bevel wheels l?,

a square shaft P4 and gearing P1 P2 from a universally jointed shaft Y. The hainmer thus moves in aV straight line within the casing Gr.V

Instead of the spring X being connected to the hammer W and casing G as in Fig. 7 the spring X in Fig. 9 is interposed between a collar on the hammer X and the end of a housing which is carried by the casing G and encloses the spring.

Fig. 10 shows a Sledge 'V1 to which a substantially uniform velocity is to be imparted and which is connected by resilient connection X with a leading Sledge V, the velocity of which may vary from its maximum to zero. rI`he leading Sledge V carries the driving mechanism X1, W vand N which may be of the form shown in Fig. 9. The leading sledge is provided with spurs E adapted to dig into the ice and operates otherwise in a similar manner to the Sledge described with reference to Figs. l to 3.

Claims: Y j

l. Mechanism for the propulsion of a vehicle other than by adhesion between driving wheels and a track or road surface .coinadhesion between driving wheels and a track or road surface, a pendulum hung at Vits upper end to the vehicle, centrifuga-l.

mechanism connected to said pendulum, means for driving saidemechanism to oscil-v Vlate said pendulumv in frequent and rapid succession and means whereby said pendulum imparts frequent forward impulses in rapid succession to the vehicle.

4. Mechanism as specified in'claim l inwhich the oscillatory member comprises a pendulating frame hung from the vehicle body, centrifugal mechanism connected to adhesion between driving wheels and a track Y or road surface, the combination with mechanism as specified in claim l of groundengaging devices for arresting the backward stroke of the oscillatory member. i

7.. A vehicle as specified in claim 3 having ground-engaging devices connected with the lower end of the pendulum to arrest the backward stroke thereof. e Y

8. A vehicle propelled other than by adhesion between driving wheels and a trackY or road surfacecomprising the combination of vertical bars hung at their uppervends to the vehicle body, a framework connecting the lower ends-of said bars, a vertical shaft,

a connection between the lower end of said n shaft andthe Vvframework, av universal joint at the upper eiidof said shaft, ymeans for rotating said Shaft, an arm projecting from said shaft, a weight on. said arm, a spring eoV connecting thev front of Said 'framework to a Y point on the vehicle body, rearwardly-inclined struts jointed to. said framework and ground-engaging devices supported by said struts. Y

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix myV signature.

RUDOLF GoLDsoHMiDT A 

